New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1887-05-25
THE CLOWN BUSINESS.

TIE CLOWN BUSINESS.
It has underxeae usay caanses Within Few
FEARS.
Gags are no 60 COW IN big shows, =
said q ctown mournfuI(Y to o new
York Sun reporter the other day.
ssrhe eternal cry Of tchestnuts' has
killed all that and the dag Of the talk
ing clown in the big circus IS over We
are not allowed to get Of o airsggfe gag,
It is all pantou1in1lc business, Times
are not what they used to be when q,
show had one clown who was the big
card. He Sang a song and after it
had the privilege Of selling his song
book. The last year had this privi
lege banked 81, 500. Taen the show
business began TO grow into mo-
nopoly. A clown who had made g.
big bit would be engaged by one ofthe
larger shows, which aims TO control
ali the attra ctions. He would find
himself crowded in with several other
clowns, and sometimes there would be
no room for him and he would have
nothing to do but draw his salary"
"If it's a fair question, where did
the clown get his lokes?'' asked the
reporter.
.'Some he tumbIed across, and 9th
ers were written for him. You fellows
made a great deal offun Of the clowns
Joke, but it's one thingto get of Joke
that party at dinner would under
stand, and quite another thing to get
one up that would fetch down big
tent full of people out on the road I
have offered big money to funny writ
ers for new gags. They would give
me some that would paralyze o room
| full Of persons, but they would fall
dead on a big circus audience So,
! too, a gag that worked well In
one section Of a country
would be no good in another. Local
gags were good. The clown would
strike place and go into barber
shop. fused to get shaved SO often
my face was raw. It was necessary
to form the acquaintance of q barber
or two in the town in order to get
posted for local gags. The landlord
OF a much-frequented hotel helped the
clown out. The local gag feature had
it's perils, however. On night got off
glorious gag on the mayor of a west
ern town. It brought down the house,
and after the show the mayor and a
posse of his friends chased me to the
hotel with an ovation of brickbats."
"What was your favorite eag?"
asked the reporter.
''It was crying gag. The ringmas-
ter would crack his whip about me
and I would cry in a manner that used
to fetch down the house, .-.
Later the reporter asked each of the
clowns to resurrect his favorite gag.
1t seemed like old times to hear them.
'Talking about the ringmaster, he
isn't what he used to be-" continued
Billy, sadly. s'You know he used to
crack his whip about the clown, and
hit him, too, sometimes, and talked
in stertorian tones to help the clown
along with his gags. The ringmaster
was g. very impressive gentleman, with
great command OF language and whip.
There We're Robert Ellengham, Gus;
Clark, Horace Nichols. Samuel P
Stickney, father OF Robert Stickney,
the rider, and many other famous
ringmasters. Now the clown pays nc
attention to the ringmaster, and the
latter does no talking.
3'Dan. Rice was one of the fathers
of the old-time clown. Yankee Robin
: son used to make a great hit by hav
ing a trained dog chase him up thu
: centre pole and pull him down by thu
coat tails. It was as difficult for E
clown to get a good song as a goo6
3 joke. Harrigan wrote my best songs
t One of my most popular was Money.
Johnny Lolo, a. clown who has mad
i q fortune, and moves in high-toneG
I society in Cleveland, has very funn,
5 production that George D. Prentice
: the journalist, once wrote for him
/ Sam. Long, once made his pile and il
\ now in Philadelphia. jimmy Rey
e nolds, who went to Australia, 10
. Pentland and Sam. Lathrop wer
: some of the successful talking clowns
9 Clowns get from $75 to $3.50 a month
;, and some OF them save money ant
e are thrifty, which reminds me that
# must hustle home tonight and do m,
, marketing.
: zone reason why the clowns in tn
e bigshows no longer crack their joke
is UIlaC Cne CenO uaS grown SO lafS
s that they could not be heard. Th
: old circus tent was what was know
> as a 1OO-foots round top, with on
r center pole and one forty -two-foo
), ring. Then they added a sixty-foo
1 middle piece, and then another MID
: die piece, until now the big tent wit
|, five center poles is used in this show
h The ring was reinforced by two more
(. and then a stage was added. Aclow
a in one of the rings couldn't make tn
people at the other end of the ten
hear.
"a big show NOW has a whole arm
of officials, beside the performers
The superintendent OF elephants, tn
superintendent OF stables, the de
> men, the zebra man-who is the mos
< frequently kicked man in the show
e. the car repairer, the big top men, tt